Knitting-machine.



No. 748,219.'y PATENTED DBO. 29, 1903.

ifu. A. SANTMYERS. `KNITTING MACHINE. APPLIGA'JIJION FILED MAY 5, 1903. N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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illnrrn rare-zei Patented December 29, 19031.

KNiTTiNG-itil/iGi-HNE.

-EECIFICATION lfornziing part of Letters Patent No. 748,219, dated December 29, 1903.

Application filed Mey, 1993. Serial No. 155,705. (No model.)

To mit whom, zit may concern:

, Be it known that LCHARLES A. SANTMYERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Knitting- Machines, of which the following is a specification. i

This invention relates to knittingr Inachines, and particularly to that class of knit# ting-machines employed in the production of stockings.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and efticient construction and organination of mechanism whereby the knitted fabric as it is delivered fronithe needles may be removed from the machine under tension.

The invention consists in the novel constrnctionandcom hinations'of partawhich will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a sectional elevation of a circular-knitting machine provided with my invention. Fig. .Zieasectional detail, as on the line 2 2 of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail of one of the pulleys. Fig. 4 is a similar detail, as on the line et tof Fig. 8.

1 design-aree the main frame; 3, the needlecylinder supported thereby; 5, the needles, and 6 the cam-cylinder.

The canz-cylinder G is rotatably mounted in the main frame l and is provided with teeth 7, which coact with the teeth ofthe gearwheel 8, secured to the drivingshaft 9, which is journaled in bearings on the main frame to the end that when the shaft 9 is actuated the cani-cylinder is rotated and the needles are actuated to carry on the knitting operation.

ln the present instance I have shown a`handie 9 for imparting the requisite motions to the cam-cylinder, lt will be understood, of course, that any well-known means may be employed for this purpose.

After the leg portieri of tlxestocking has heen completed the shaft i), and perforce the cani-cylinder 6, is recprocated, the needles 5 are thrown into and ont of operation in the ueualmannergand the heel portion is produced. ylhe shaft 9 is then actuated to rotate the cam-cylinder to produce the foot portieri, upon the completion of which the shaft 9 is again reciprocated and the toe portion is pro duced similarly to the heel portion.

the following construction: Depending` from` the main frame 1, adjacent to the needle-cy1 inder 3, is an extension l10, to the lower end of which is secured a bracket 1l. This bracket compriees a pair of arms l2, which are eonuect' ed together by a body portion 13. Extending between the arnrs 12 and jou rnaled therein is a shaft la, carrying a roller 15, which is a1'- rangod between the arms 12. Resting against this relier .i5 in a roller 16. The shaft 17 of the roiler 1,6 is reduced, as at 18, and the reduced por are rotatably fitted to sockets 19 in the f s 12 to the end that endwise displacement E the roller 16 will he prevented. The width f the sockets 19 is slightly greater than the diameter of the reduced portions 1S of the siiaii l. so as to allow the roller 16 to move toward and from the roller 15, thereby permitting the roller 16 to rest against the rolierl by gravity. One end of the shaft 14 extends outwardly and is providedwith a pulley 20, which is connected by a belt 2l with a pulley 22 on the driving-shaft 9 of the knittingmachine. The pulley 20 is rotatably mounted on the shaft 14 overa groove 23, out in and extending part wayaround said shaft, and the pulley 20 is provided with a screw 24, the inner end of which extends freely into the groove 23, to the end that the pulley 2O will freely rotate upon the shaft 14. until the inner -end of the screw takes against one end of the slot 23, whereupon the shaft 14 will be ro tat-ed with the pulley 20. The shaft 14 has aiiixed theretoa ratchet-wheel 25,`which is engaged by aipawl 26, pivoted, as at 27, to ionieof thearnis l2 of the bracket 11, thereby permitting the shaft le to rotate, only in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2.

Assuming` that the knitted fabric' delivered froz the needles 5 has been brought down beneath the roller l5, up between, the rollers l5 and 1,6, and over the top of the roller 16, as indicated in the drawings, the operation ot the invention is as follows: During the io- ICO tation of the shaft 9 to produce the leg andfoot portions of the stocking the pulley 22 drives the belt 2l, which rotates the pulley 20,and the screw in the latter pulley, taking against one end. of the slot 23, rotates `(the shaft 14, and perforce the roller 15, in a manner to draw upon the fabric delivered from the needles until the tension exerted on the fabric overcomes the frictional engagement of the belt 21 with the pulley 20, whereupon the belt 2l slips upon the pulley 20, and as rapidly as the fabric is delivered from the needles and the tension thereby decreased and also to maintain thetension upon the,

fabric. This end is accomplished by the pawl 26 engagingthe ratchet-wheel 25 and preveptipg the backward movement of the shaft 14,l and roller ,15 and the i'nnerend Vof the sci-ew 24, working in the slot 23 of the shaft 14, and thereby permittingt the belt 21 to reciprocate the pulley with` the shaft 9 while theshaft' 14 remains idle Upon the compietin of either the heel or? the toe portions of the stocking the shaft Quand perforce the pulleys 2O and 22, are again rotated, the screw y24 takes against one end of the slot 23,

the shaft 14 and the rollers 1,15 are again rotated, and Ethe fabric is again fed from the machine under plained. I

It will of course be observed that instead of passing the fabric under the roller 15 and then over the roller 16, asv above described,

tension, `asy previously exthel fabric delivered from the needles may be Wrapped one-or more times around the roller 15, its free end passing from the roller after the last turn. In this event the roller 16 would be dispensed with and the fabric would be wound upon and delivered from the roller l5 as rapidly as it is deliveredifrom the needles. I claimg 1. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-cylinder, the needles,the camcyli'nder, the knittingcams carried thereby, and means adapted to be operated to impart a continuous rotary motion and a reciprocating motion to the cam-cylinder to effect the operation of the needles, of mechanism adapted to engage and feed the fabric delivered from the needles, means connected to the firstnamed means for actuating said mechanism during the continuous rotary motion of the cam-cylindeman'd means for rendering said mechanism idle during both the forward and back strokes of the reciprocation ofthe camcylinder. f K

' 2. In aknitting-machine, the combination with the needle-cylinder, the needles, the eamcylinder, Ithe knitting-cams carried thereby,

vessie and means adapted to be operated to impart a continuous rotary motion and a recprocas ing motion to the cam-cylinder to ete'ct the operation of the needles,of a roller'adapted to engage and feed the fabric delivered from.

the needles,a shaft projecting from the roller,V

cylinder, the knitting-cams carried thereby,-

and means adapted to be operated to impart a continuous rotary motion and a reciprocat- -ing'motion'to the cam-cylinder to effect the` operation of the needles, of a roller adapted 'to engage and feed the fabric delivered from the needles, a shaft projecting from the roller, a pulley loosely mounted on said shaft, a belt passing around said pulley, means for continnously driving said belt during the continnous rotary motion of the cam-cylinder and reciprocating said belt during' the reciprocation of the cam-cylinder, means for engaging the pulley with said shaft during the continuous rotary 'motion of the cam-cylinder and disengaging said pulley from said shaft during the reciprocation of the cam-cylinder, a ratchet-wheel on said shaft, and a pawl engaged with said ratchet-Wheel whereby the backward movement of said roller is prevented.

4. In a knitting-machine, the combination lwith the needle-cylinder, the needles, the camcylinder, the knitting-cams carried thereby, and means adapted to be operated toimpart a con tinuous rotary motion and a reciprocating motion to the cam-cylinder to effect the operation of the needles, of a roller adapted to engage and feed the fabric from the needles, a shaft projecting from the roller and having a groove therein extending part way around the shaft, a pulley loosely mounted on said shaft and having a project-ion entering' said groove, a belt passing around said pulley, means for continuously driving said belt during the continuous rotary motion of the cam-cylinder and reciprocating said belt during the reciprocation of the cam cylinder; whereby as the cam-cylinder is continuously rotated said projection will engage the end of said groove and rotate said roller, and as the cam-cylinder is reciprocated the said projection will reciprocate in said groove and the roller remain idle; and means to prevent the backward movement of the roller.

5. In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-cylinder,the needles, the camcylinder, the knitting-'cams carried thereby, and means adapted to be operated to impart a continuous rotary motion and areciprocating motion to the cam-cylinder to ellect the operation of the needles, of a roller adapted to engage and feed the fabric from 'the needles, a shaft projecting from the roller and havingr a groove therein extending part way around the shaft, a pulley loosely mounted on said shaft and having aprojection entering said groove, a belt passing around said pulley; means for continuously driving said belt during the continuous rotary motion of the cam-cylinder and reciprocating said belt during the reciprocation ofthe canrcylinder, whereby as the cam-cylinder is continuously rotated said projections will engage the end of said groove and rotate said roller, and as the canrcylinder is reciprocated the said projection will reciprocate in said groove and the roller remain idle; a ratchet-wheel on said shaft, and pawl engaged with said ratchet whereby the backward movement of said roller is prevented.

(i. In a .knitung-machine,the combination with the need le-cylinder,the needles, the camcylinder, the knitting-cams carried` thereby, the driving-shaft and means carried thereby for actuating the cam-cylinder to elfectthe operation of the needles, ol a roller adapted to engage and feed the fabric delivered from the needles, a shaft projectingfrom the roller, a pulley loosely mounted on said shaft, a

pulley on said driving-shaft, a belt passing around said pulleys, means for engaging the first-named pulley with the roller-shaft when the d riving-shaftis continuously rotated and Vdisentmging the firstnamed pulley from the roller-shaftwhen the driving-shaft is recipro cated, and means to `prevent the backward movement of said roller.

7. `In a knitting-machine, the combination with the needle-e linder,the needles, the camcylinder, the kn tting-cams carried thereby, and means adaptled to be operated to impart a continuous rotary motion and a reciprocating motion to the cam'cylinder to eedt the operation of the needles, of a roller adapted to engage and ,feed the fabric from the` needles, means connected to the first-named means for rotating said rollerduring the coutinuous rotary motion of the. cam-cylinderr, means for rendering said roller idle during the reciproeation of the cam-cylinder,'a second roller restingr by gravity upon the firstnamed roller to press the fabric'into engagement with the latter, and means for guiding said second roller so as to have a movement toward and from the first-named roller.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. SANTM'YERS.

' Witnesses v ANDREW V. GROUPE, WL W. CANBY. 

